14/
What was Kubrick's A.I supposed to be about? This answer was written in 1999, and therefore only deals with the story of what was known then about the pre-production of Kubrick's AI

A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) was a film Kubrick had planned on making
for several years. The film was to be his first foray into the science-fiction
genre since his 1968 technical ground-breaker '2001: A Space Odyssey'.

Kubrick worked with several writers over the years, shaping the script,
Brian Aldiss, Bob Shaw and Ian Watson, among others (the latter actually
finished a script for Kubrick), meanwhile he kept one eye on the latest
developments in the field of special effects. The script was partly based
on Brian Aldiss' short story 'Supertoys Last All Summer Long' (1)
"Super Toys" Is a fable about a young synthetic boy and his talking companion
bear. The boy is confused about his existence and what is 'real' and if
he is indeed 'real' himself. The boy's 'Father' works for a company that
manufactures artificial people as servants, companions and to keep the
booming population under control.

The Father and Mother both want a real child through conception, but
await official permission to do so. In the end they are elated to be granted
permission, but seem puzzled at what to do with their artificial child
and its companion.

The basic thesis for the story appears to be a reworking of the Aldiss
short story, but the plot and narrative structure seem less familiar.
Kubrick had envisioned a New York of the future being swallowed up by
floods and tidal waves. More specific plot-points are vague, but several
of the contributors have leaked glimpses of the story line over the years.
One such scenario, given to me anonymously, would be that sometime later,
a boy would be found amongst the swamp-like ruins by an advanced group
of robots. At some point it would become clear that the boy himself was
an arcane version of these robots, long since forgotten.

This scenario is a far cry from the 'Waterworld'-like plot of Ballard's
'Drowned World' (1962'), which has long been rumoured to have been a source
for the film, but has never been confirmed. The novel describes that in
the latter half of the 20th century, the world has become immersed in
water due to a melting of the Earth's polar caps. The story begins several
decades after the catastrophe. Survivors spend their days avoiding the
blistering sun, living on makeshift boats or in the high rises that break
the swampy surface of the underworld. Coincidentally, Brian Aldiss gives
the book a glowing review on the back cover, which at least proves the
main contributor to the story - aside from Kubrick - had at least read
it and had likely drawn some inspiration, however small.

Although Kubrick's story was apparently to have tidal waves crashing
through cityscapes, there is no such mention in Ballard's book. However,
there are some brief descriptions of waves that splash methodically against
the sleek skyscrapers that protrude from the water's surface. This single
vision at least seems in tone with Kubrick's visual atmosphere for the
film.

What is more likely - at least on a personal level - is Watson's scenario,
which would follow the Aldiss story closely, but would spin off into a
more 'fairy-tale' journey that would take the viewer on a odyssey spanning
the boy's thousand year quest.

David (as he was named in Watson's script) was the first of a new model
of robot able to utilize 'virtual' emotion as part of its psychological
makeup. In Watson's script, it is apparent that David has been programmed
to love the couple that has acquired him, but cannot 'learn' to love others.
David's new 'parents' are a dissatisfied couple whose only child suffers
from an incurable disease and had been cryogenically preserved in case
a cure can be found. The parents are not allowed to have another child
and resent David playing the part of their 'child'.

When a medical breakthrough allows the daughter to be thawed out and
cured, David becomes redundant, and after a period of intense sibling
rivalry, the mother decides to rid herself of David. She sets him loose,
but to assuage her sense of guilt, tells him that he can return when he
becomes a 'real boy'.

David's quest eventually takes him to the drowned city of New York ,
where he finds a 'Pinocchio booth' at a Coney Island amusement park, which
is, along with a Ferris-wheel, located just above the waterline. The scene
ends with David seeing the model of the 'Blue Fairy', which he regards
with referential wonder.

The story then jumps ahead a thousand years, to a future in which robots
populate the world which is now run by computers. Humans are long extinct.
David's remains are discovered, his battery worn down, and revived by
these robotic inheritors of the Earth, who regard him as a link with a
mythological long-forgotten past.

Ian Watson did an almost full novel length treatment which I've never
seen and when he finished it Stanley said to him. I need somebody to smear
this with vaginal jelly, and I have to say when I first heard this that
I was rather shocked, because he was quite gentlemanly.

Sara Maitland.

Kubrick's final collaborator on the 'A.I' script was English novelist Sara
Maitland whom he felt was necessary in shaping the story into a cohesive
whole. "By the time I came to the project it had become enormous, unwieldy
and unfocused," said Ms. Maitland. Upon perusing the piles of unfinished
scripts, she concluded that the story needed to make emotional sense as
a myth or fairy tale does, and believes that Kubrick realized this. In fact
Kubrick also was adamant that the story should work in terms of myth. "He
never referred to the film as 'A.I.'; he always called it 'Pinocchio.' "

"He decided to make this film because he wanted people to shift to a
more positive view of A.I., he was quite open to me about that. Kubrick
was fascinated by artificial intelligence and fond of robots, which he
regarded as a more environmentally adaptable form of human being. He said,
'I think of them as I'd like to think of my great-grandchildren.' And
he's very fond of his grandchildren."

It was the relationship between David and his mother that most occupied
Kubrick and Sara Maitland. An alcoholic whose 'Bloody Mary' cocktails
David would mix for her in a vain attempt to win her affection. The mother
was the to be emotional center of the film that would eventually come
full-circle.

At the story's conclusion, the robots that have inherited the Earth
use David's memories to reconstruct, in virtual form, the apartment where
he had lived with his parents. Because his memories are subjective, the
mother is much more vividly realized than the father, and his stepsister's
room is not there at all; it is just a hole in the wall.

For Ms. Maitland, the film would end with David preparing a Bloody Mary
for his mother, the juice a brighter red than in real life: "He hears
her voice, and that's it. We don't see him turn to see her." Kubrick,
however, wanted a coda in which the new race of robots, because of a technological
limitation, cannot keep the mother alive after reviving her. The movie
would end with David in his mother's bedroom, watching her slowly disappear.

Ms. Maitland was displeased this scenario, and was furious with Kubrick
for insisting on it. "It must have been a very strong visual thing for
him," she says, "because he wasn't usually stupid about story. He hired
me because I knew about fairy stories, but would not listen when I told
him, 'You can have a failed quest, but you can't have an achieved quest
and no reward.' "

Other details regarding the film have recently surfaced, but specifics
are vague and sometimes just utter nonsense (we'll get to the nonsense
soon enough). But the few hard facts we have about the film come from
this source, a statement from Warner Brothers and a confirmation from
Industrial Light And Magic about being approached to deal with the special
effects shots.

The statement form Warner Bros. was released during pre-production for
'Eyes Wide Shut' and states:

"...Kubrick's previously announced sci-fi film, 'A.I.', believed to
be one of the most technically challenging and innovative special effects
films yet attempted, is in the final stages of set design and special
effects development, and will follow Eyes Wide Shut".

The confirmation from Industrial Light and Magic's involvement has always
been - until now - unclear to say the least. But a recent article from
the June 18th issue of Entertainment Weekly confirms that members of ILM
were indeed deep into development in regard to special effects for the
proposed film.

In the fall of 1993, Dennis Muren and Ned Gorman, who had previously
wowed audiences with the effects for the 'Star Wars' films, had been invited
to the Kubrick estate to talk about the monumental effects issues for
Kubrick's new film, 'A.I.'. Kubrick had begun pre-production in 1991,
but had lost interest when it became apparent the effects shots needed
for the film were beyond the capabilities of even the top special effects
people. A recent screening of Muren and Gorman's newest work on Steven
Spielberg's 'Jurassic Park' rekindled his interest in the project.

At his estate, Kubrick was shown a screening featuring a computer generated
pirate ship on the high seas. According to both Muren and Gorman, Kubrick
was left duly impressed, and grilled the two FX whizzes for over seven
hours. The two also indicated that Kubrick's level of knowledge in the
field of FX was astounding.

For the lead role,
Kubrick had wanted the robot boy something along the lines of an androgynous,
Victorian doll. Muren and Gorman were shown a photo of Gainsborough's painting
'The Blue Boy' as an
example. Kubrick's concept was that the child should look a little too real.
And although it would become apparent that he wasn't human, he would in
the end, become the most humane character in the film.

When the ILM team returned to the U.S., they conjured up about fifty
or so different ways visually to make it apparent that the child was indeed
a synthetic creation. One such suggestion, which certainly plays into
Kubrick's 'Pinocchio'-type odyssey for the boy, would be that of an internal
manifestation or mechanism; some semblance of lights coming from inside
the body. Another was symmetric freckles and moles on the child's face.
Yet another idea was to give the child blank, doll-like eyes, that wouldn't
focus on a point in space, but off into nowhere.

One idea in particular sparked Kubrick's interest, and that was to have
the boys face inhumanly balanced. In particular, the idea that the eyes
might be farther apart than that of a human being. These spatial differences
are what Kubrick was especially intrigued by. Whether Kubrick was to use
a real actor and superimpose the head and face in post-production, or
create a fully digitized actor is still unknown.

Kubrick did eventually commission a test helicopter shot of an oil derrick
in the North Sea, which he intended to digitally replace with the sunken
spires of the New York City skyline. How these images of monuments rearing
up from the oceans turned out is any ones guess. With no explanation,
his interest temporarily waned, and he turned his attention to 'Eyes Wide
Shut'.

What Kubrick could have done with today's digital technology is something
that will be debated for decades to come. For now, Kubrick's dreamlike
fable will play out only in the midst of our imagination.

TRUE: 1996, an amk contact received art
work from AI. The artwork is an early draft, in later versions the
side walls are huge ice formations." The metal arch type structure the
two craft are lifting would represents a ruined Ferris Wheel encased in
ice, and being harvested out by machines.

Later the same informant reported AI, "has been shelved." An artist
was hired to work at Stanley's house, to produce pictures of the Polar
ice caps and of the Statue of Liberty under water. But after several months,
the artist produced only one painting, and was let go from the project.
The source did confirm the script was based on "Supertoys," dismissed
the "kid from Jurassic Park" rumor, and reported that people were working
with Stanley on computer morphing techniques.

Later message: The source says that he'd be surprised if AI even gets
started after EWS. It seemed likely that if it did happen, Kubrick would
create his own effects team, because he wasn't happy with the ILM's work
and its cost estimates. He couldn't confirm Ian Watson's involvement.
Then the messages concerning AI ended after this.

NOTE:
THE ABOVE INFORMATION HAS NEVER BEEN REVEALED BEFORE, AND IS COPYRIGHT
OF THIS SITE!!

FALSE: An outlandish rumor began on 'Dark Horizons, about Kubrick
secretly shooting 'A.I.' over the course of several years (1),
in order to capture the child star's age progression into adulthood realistically.
Jan Harlan recently called this "Total nonsense," but adds, "... we did
test Joseph and he was put on a contract, but then he didn't do the film."

TRUE: What we do know is that Kubrick was impressed with the
young actor after seeing him in 'Jurassic Park', and possibly wanted him
to play a major role in the holocaust drama 'Aryan Papers'
(2) , which Kubrick had intended to either produce or direct.
Mazzello's agent has publicly stated his client was put under contract
for two years, but that when the contract expired, renewal was not sought
out by Kubrick, who by then had turned his interests to 'A.I' and 'Eyes
Wide Shut'.

TRUE: Video director and artist Chris Cunningham (Bjork - 'All
is Full of Love'; Aphex Twin - 'Come to Daddy') was hired by Kubrick to
make little robot-type humans for A.I., and that he did spend time with
him actually making a few of them. Jan Harlan recalled to Steven Rose
of the Guardian "We did try to build remote control machines and stuff
like that. We tried to construct a little boy with a movable rubber face
to see whether we could make it look appealing. But it was a total failure,
it looked awful."

INTERESTING FACT: Kubrick also commissioned the British illustrator
Chris Baker to draw scenes for his future world.

TRUE: He was working on pre-production on AI and EWS simultaneously.
Terry Semel told Paul Joyce, (3i)
"He was preparing "AI" for some time, as he was "Eyes Wide Shut" and he
was determined after the screenplay that collectively we did not go forward
on it, which was really his choice. He decided to have more than one choice
the next time. So he took an extra year or two and was working on more
than one project at the same time. One was Eyes Wide Shut and the other
was AI.

FALSE: The film was shooting concurrently with EWS in a St. Albans
property that used to be a bacon factory that Kubrick had bought and converted
in to a studio. Although Chris Cunningham, built robots for Kubrick there
and it has been reported that parts of Eyes Wide Shut were indeed shot
in the converted bacon factory.

TRUE Contrary to what has been reported here before, Steven Spielberg
received over 900 pages of fax-notes from Kubrick, regarding AI. Jan Harlan
Kubrick brother in law said to Steve Rose of the Guardian "He and Spielberg
spoke all the time," he continues. "I have six or seven years' worth of
correspondence between them over AI, which I recently passed over to Spielberg
along with over 1,000 drawings." Harlan told Paul Joyce, (3ii)
"He said on more than one case - "I think the ideal director for this
may be Steven Spielberg. If I do it, it may be too stark. I may emphasise
too much the philosophical side.

Harlan maintains that Kubrick would certainly have returned to AI after
Eyes Wide Shut. "He had no intention of dying, I assure you. But at one
point, Stanley actually said to Spielberg: 'You would be the best guy
to direct this film, I'll be the producer.' I can't tell you whether he
would have directed it himself or given it to Spielberg. That was still
very much a possibility." (4)

AP, BS & RM

Notes
(1) Interestingly at around the same time as this rumour appeared, Danish
director of Lars Von Trier announced that he intended doing the same kind
of thing, taking a 3 minute shot every year on different locations all over
Europe for a period of 33 years. Von Trier's film, if it is ever completed,
is expected to premiere in the year 2024. (back)

16/ Are there any other unfinished
or abandoned projects that Kubrick worked on?
Take one director of exacting standards and a penchant for pre-production
combined with a forty eight year career making films and you are bound to
find a string of uncompleted, abandoned or half-forgotten projects along
the way. Here is a brief, although probably far from comprehensive, résumé.

Some of the abandoned projects mentioned in this list were in a more
advanced stage of development than others, although apart from AI
and Napoleon, lack of information makes it difficult to ascertain
which ones, hence the list is arranged in alphabetical order and approximately
dated.

AI
From a short story by Brian Aldiss
Kubrick became interested in doing a film about artificial intelligence
in the early 70's and the idea stayed with him for the rest of his life.
For an account of this huge work in progress see questions 14
& 15 of this FAQ.

The Aryan Papers (1980s)
From 'Wartime Lies' by Louis Begley (published 1977)Synopsis:
A Jewish Mother and Son try to escape the Nazi holocaust. Development
According to a recent interview in the UK Guardian newspaper with Jan
Harlan "Kubrick always wanted to do a film on the Holocaust, but he never
got a good script." He had tried to commission an original screenplay
from the novelist Isaac Bashevis Singer (who turned it down on the grounds
that he knew nothing about the Holocaust), before settling on an adaptation
of the novel Wartime Lies, by Lewis Begley.

Script written, though not known whether other writers were involved.
Uma Thurman and Julia Roberts were considered for the female lead while
Joseph Mazzello had been selected to play the young boy. Locations had
been chosen but the film was cancelled a few months before principal photography
was to begin.

"We were very committed to do this film," Harlan recalls. "We had done
enormous amounts of research and preparation, but there came a point when
he and Warner boss Terry Semel decided it would be better to do AI first.
It had to do with Schindler's List," he said. "It was such a good film
and so successful, and Stanley's film would have come out about a year
later. He'd already had this experience with Full Metal Jacket, which
came out the year after Platoon, and that hurt us, there's no question
about it." So in 1995, The Aryan Papers was abandoned and Kubrick returned
to AI.

Blue Movie (late 1960s early 70s)Synopsis:
a film director who becomes so great and famous that he gets the financing
to make the ultimate pornographic film starring two well-known screen
lovers (This story sparked rumours that Eyes Wide Shut was going
to be Kubrick's Blue Movie). Development:
Kubrick toyed for a while with Blue Movie, although it's doubtful
he ever seriously considered making it into a film. Terry Southern liked
the idea so much that he got Kubrick's permission to write the story as
a novel. According to Vincent Lobrutto's biography, Kubrick asked Southern
if he could read the galleys to the novel. While he was reading it, Christiane
picked it up and, after perusing the pages, said to her husband, "Stanley,
if you do this I'll never speak to you again." In the early 1970s Kubrick
also confessed to a friend once that he would like to make the world's
scariest movie, involving a series of episodes that would play upon the
nightmare fears of the audience (The Shining was released in 1980).

The Burning Secret (mid 1950s)
From the story by Stefan Zweig. Developed by Harris Kubrick Productions
after the found the book in MGM's library.Synopsis:
A mother who goes away on vacation without her husband but accompanied
by her young son. At the resort hotel where they are staying, she is seduced
by an attractive gentleman. Her son discovers this but when mother and
son eventually return home the boy lies at a crucial moment to prevent
his father from discovering the truth.Development:
Screenplay written in the mid 1950s by Calder Willingham and Kubrick for
MGM to follow up The Killing. Harris and Kubrick worked on the project
in the day whilst developing Paths of Glory surreptitiously at night.
Management changes at MGM scuppered the project. A version was later directed
by Andrew Birkin, Kubrick's assistant on 2001 and Napoleon.

Foucault's Pendulum (1980s)
From the book by Umberto Eco.Synopsis:
Three book editors decide as a joke to invent a world wide conspiracy
theory. The game turns deadly when they start to disappear one by one.
Foucault's Pendulum is Italian semiotics professor Umberto Eco's satirical
take on conspiracy theories, the illuminati and secularisation of religion
in the modern age.Development-
Reuters recently reported that after 12 years of refusing numerous offers
from filmmakers such as Stanley Kubrick and Milos Forman, the author had
finally struck a deal with Fine Line Features for a big screen adaptation
of his best-selling novel. Apparently Eco had resisted all previous approaches
in part due to his disappointment with the movie version of his novel
"The Name of the Rose,"

The German Lieutenant (late 50s)
From the from the book by Richard Adam. Developed by Harris Kubrick Productions
Synopsis:
World War II film.Development-
One of several projects Kubrick and Harris worked on but was never film
in the hiatus between Paths of Glory and Spartacus.

I Stole 16 Million Dollars (late 50s)
From the biography of Herbert Emmerson Wilson. Developed by Harris Kubrick
Productions Synopsis:
The life of a professional safe-cracker who served 12 years in San Quentin
jail.Development-
Kubrick wrote a screenplay as a vehicle for Kirk Douglas who passed on
it. Kubrick subsequently stated that he has never been interested in developing
any of the screenplays he developed with Harris while they both were in
the employ of Douglas' Bryna Productions.

Last Exit To Brooklyn (1960/70s?)
From the novel by Hubert Selby Jr. published in the UK in 1968.Synopsis:
The hard hitting sexual, political and criminal adventures of a series
of characters living in Brooklyn in the 1950s. The book became famous
in the late 1960s as the subject of an obscenity trial, which led to the
formation of the "Defence Of Literature And The Arts Society."Development:
With the release of the 1989 film adaptation, a rumour came out that Kubrick
was once interested in adapting the book and even held the rights for
a while. Filmed eventually by Ulrich Edel, starring Jennifer Jason Leigh.

The Last Parallel (1950s)
From a novel of the Korean war by Martin RussSynopsis:
UnknownDevelopment:
Unknown

Napoleon (1960s early 1970s)
Kubrick, wrote a 186 page script for Columbia as early as 1969. He later
rewrote it with Napoleon expert Felix Markham. There is no way of ascertaining
whether a version was ever finished, but they did spend many months writing
it. Anthony Burgess' cited Kubrick as the influence on the choice of subject
matter for a novel which he wanted to write, structured like a classical
symphony. His book 'Napoleon Symphony' (1)
came out of soon afterwards and was also thought to be a contender for
adaptation into a film script.Synopsis:
The Life of Napoleon (possibly structured like Beethoven's 3rd symphony
"Eroica":- The first part being about struggle and victory, the second
about a great public funeral, and in the third and forth raising the hero
to the level of myth).Development:
A project that was developed from the late sixties to the early seventies
and cancelled for various reasons by MGM, Kubrick or a combination of
the two. There is evidence that the project was cancelled in the final
stages of extensive pre-production; certainly casting had begun and locations
were being decided upon.

Of all his abandoned projects, Napoleon (and AI) were the most prominent
also-rans. (Napoleon even received a mention in Arthur C. Clarke's 'Rendezvous
with Rama'!) Originally slated to follow 2001, then A Clockwork
Orange, Kubrick discussed Napoleon at some length in several interviews
(2) around the late 1960s early
1970s. With Jack Nicholson confirmed to play the eponymous emperor, Kubrick
plans for Napoleon would have made it easily the most ambitious project
he had ever attempted. The film was to feature battle sequences filmed
by helicopter with thousands of troops marching in historically accurate
formations. Certainly, if the film had ever been made, it would have been
to be an epic on the grandest of scales.

Years later, after the release of Full Metal Jacket, Penelope Gilliatt
(3) asked Kubrick what had happened
to the film. "I'm not sure that in three hours you could do justice...."
was his pragmatic response

For more information on this abandoned project go to Darryl Mason's
generally informative article at salon.com.

One Eyed Jacks (late 1950's)
From a script by Sam Peckinpah
See question 19 of this FAQ.

TV series based on the film Operation Mad
Bull (late 1950s)Synopsis
Harris Kubrick both enjoyed the film starring Ernie Kovacs and were interested
in making a TV series, about the commandant of a boy's school.Development
Harris and Kubrick met Kovaks and began to research the project including
talking to a real commandant of the Black Fox Military Academy.

The Passion Flower (1960s?)Synopsis:
A group of young women from an all-girls school decide to sell sexual
favours to a nearby all-boys school.Development
According to Lobrotto's biography Harris and Kubrick always talked about
renewing their collaboration. one of the projects they discussed making
together was The Passion Flower. According to Lobrutto, it was eventually
made as a musical.

Perfume (1980s)
From the novel by Patrick Suskind first published in German in the early
1980s English Translation published in 1985Synopsis:
Complex adult fable of a boy with psychopathic tendencies and an extremely
well developed olfactory sense in 18th Century France.Development -
Unknown, presumably a script had been written. Rumour has it that Suskind
was unhappy with the way the adaptation was going. It is not known why
the project was abandoned.

Schindler's Ark
From the book by Thomas Keneally published in 1982Synopsis:
Fictionalised account of Oskar Schindler, a German business responsible
for saving the lives of 600 Jews during World War II.Development-
In an interview for The Guardian, Thomas Keneally mentioned that Kubrick's
office enquired after the film rights for his book. (Questionable: as
Kubrick usually made such offers through a third party) Not taken any
further by Kubrick. Filmed as Schindler's List by Steven Spielberg
in 1993.

The 7th Virgina Cavalry Raider (1958)Synopsis:
The adventures of Union Cavalry officer Mosby Ranger Development:
Developed by Harris Kubrick Productions. Kubrick never finished the screenplay
for this project concerning a Southern guerrilla force during the American
Civil War. It was hoped that Gregory Peck would play the lead.

The Shadow Knows (late 1970s)
From the novel by Diane Johnson, published in 1974 Synopsis:
A young divorced woman narrates her troublesome emotional and sexual involvement
with a married man. As her mixed feelings about her relationship grow,
she begins to obsess about half-imagined harassment by strangers or prowlers.
Finally she is indeed attacked and raped. As the story draws to a close,
it becomes questionable whether the event was actually real and whether
all or part of what she has related might not be a paranoid and self-aggrandizing
delusion.Development
Discussed with Diane Johnson, who was later chosen to co-write the screenplay
for 'The Shining'.

Traumnovelle - starring
Steve Martin (1980s?)Synopsis:
Possibly a comic version of Arthur Schitzler's "Traumnovelle," - now made
as Eyes Wide ShutDevelopment-
In the mid eighties, Kubrick was impressed by Steve Martins 'The Jerk'
(1979) and was anxious to do a project with him. They met a few times
but not known whether any story or script ideas had been discussed. Diane
Johnson said recently revealed that Kubrick at one time conceived his
adaptation of "Traumnovelle," to be a comedy and he: "explored it with
Steve Martin". Michael Herr also reported Kubrick's interest in doing
"Traumnovelle" as a dark sex comedy with Steve Martin in the lead, Herr
says that he, Diane Johnson and David Cornwall aka John Le Carré
were also approached by Kubrick to write it.

FQ, AP, AF, RM, ME, PT

17/ Can someone explain the end of 2001?"If the film stirs the emotions and penetrates the subconscious of
the viewer, if it stimulates, however inchoately, his mythological and
religious yearnings and impulses, then it has succeeded."

The final scenes of 2001 depict Bowman; taking an interstellar journey,
arriving at an alien white room and turning into a star child. Kubrick
was often drawn by interviewers to offer his own interpretation of these
enigmatic events but would not discuss them, due he said to the conviction
that by providing such a road map, he would destroy the mystery of the
film. He did say to Rolling Stone magazine about the film that, "On the
deepest psychological level the film's plot symbolizes the search for
God, and it finally postulates what is little less than a scientific definition
of God [...] The film revolves around this metaphysical conception and
the realistic hardware and the documentary feelings about everything were
necessary in order to undermine your built-in resistance to the poetical
concept. "

Arthur C. Clarke's novelisation, published after the films release seemed
to many to explain the ending of the film more clearly, although purists
are quick to point out that the novel differs in many key respects from
the film, and should therefore not be regarded as the skeleton key to
unlock it.

Certainly most people are in agreement on the following: that the room
seems to represent some kind of interface between the aliens and Bowman.
Perhaps a test? Or a cage of some sort? And his transformation
into the baby is a kind of step up the evolutionary ladder for humanity.

It is worth noting a quotation in an article from the New York Times,
circa 1966 in which Kubrick gave credence to interpretations of 2001
based of the book 'Also Sprach Zarathustra' (Thus Spoke Zarathustra) by
German philosopher Frederick Nietzsche. In the article, Kubrick appropriated
Nietzsche's dictum that: 'man is a bridge between the apes and the Supermen;
a laughing stock,' when he said: "Man is the missing link between primitive
apes and civilised human beings Man is really in a very unstable condition."
(2) The other indication of a
Nietzsche connection is the choice of Richard Strauss' tone poem, 'Also
Sprach Zarathustra' for the title music to 2001.

RM

Further reading

This answer has deliberately avoided going into all the various speculative
interpretations of 2001 in any detail. This is because a vast number of
explanations already exist on-line, covering the whole spectrum of theories
from quite plausible to utterly bizarre. If you're curious to read more,
a good place to start your search is : Kubrick
On The Web which lists various interpretations. For more detailed
essays on the subject go to The
Kubrick Site. as it has many original essays dealing with this question.

Other quotation taken from William Kloman's article in
the New York Times: "In 2001, Will Love Be a Seven-Letter Word?" Available
online at
New York Times' Kubrick archive

18/ I noticed there is a record
of the 2001 soundtrack on prominent display in A Clockwork Orange, does
Kubrick make references to his own work in any other of his films?
There are SO many of these references that some have suggested the links
might mean SK is creating one giant film over the course of his whole career.

From the Rolling Stone interview, 1987

Tim Cahill
People always look at directors, and you in particular, in the context
of a body of work. I couldn't help but notice some resonance with Paths
of Glory at the end of Full Metal Jacket: a woman surrounded by enemy
soldiers, the odd, ambiguous gesture that ties these people together..."

Stanley Kubrick
"That resonance is an accident. The scene comes straight out of Gustav
Hasford's book.

Tim Cahill
"So your purpose wasn't to poke the viewer in the ribs, point out certain
similarities..? "

Stanley Kubrick
"Oh, God, no. I'm trying to be true to the material."

Although Kubrick was publicly dismissive about connections in his films
his above statement needs to be set against the sheer amount of evidence
to the contrary.

Here are a few of connections, but please note: this list is not definitive.

Paths of Glory / 2001
The large painting in Paths of Glory looks like the landscape that
opens 2001. Also, both films use "The Blue Danube".

Paths of Glory / The Shining
In Paths of Glory the character Private Arnaud played by Joe Turkel
says: "May I tell you something, Father? Back in my hometown there was
a certain little cafe with a amusing sign over the bar. It read 'Do not
be afraid to ask for credit, for our way of refusing is very polite.'
Many years later, Turkel played the bartender in The Shining,
reassures Jack that: "his credit's fine"

Paths of Glory / Dr. Strangelove / Barry Lyndon / Full
Metal Jacket.
The looking down the barrel of the rifle shot

Spartacus / Lolita
In Lolita, Quilty played by Peter Sellers says, "No, I'm Spartacus.
You come to free the slaves or something?"

Lolita / The Shining
The hand opening the bathroom door shot is the same.

Lolita / The Shining
Humbert makes love to Charlotte while looking at a picture of the younger
Lolita over Charlotte's shoulder. Jack kisses the naked woman in the bathroom,
then sees her older, decomposing reality in the mirror over he shoulder

Dr Strangelove / 2001
The false-colour landscapes near the end of the 'stargate' trip in 2001
are similar to the high-altitude scenes during the bomb run in Dr Strangelove.
(In fact Kubrick used out takes from Dr Strangelove for the
Stargate planet shots in 2001 ).

Dr Strangelove / 2001 / A Clockwork Orange
The radio in the B52 bomber is 'CRM114' in Dr Strangelove, the
serial number of one of one of the pods in 2001 pod is 'CRM114'
and Alex is injected with 'serum 114', in A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange / The Shining
Alex cuts the back of Dim's hand in A Clockwork Orange; Wendy
cuts the back of Jack's hand in The Shining.

A Clockwork Orange / The Shining
The posters in the Milkbar in A Clockwork Orange are a great deal
like the ones in Hallorann's apartment in The Shining.

Barry Lyndon / A Clockwork Orange
In Barry Lyndon a painting by Ludovico Corde is bought by Barry,
in A Clockwork Orange, the Ludovico treatment is given to Alex.

Barry Lyndon / A Clockwork Orange
Anthony Sharp plays the role of Lord Hallan - a 'former government minister'
in Barry Lyndon, the same actor played the Minister of the Interior
in A Clockwork Orange.

Barry Lyndon / Eyes Wide Shut
One of Dr. Bill's encounter with the Mysterious Woman at the masked ball
is very reminiscent of Redmond Barry's first encounter with Lady Lyndon
at the gambling party.

Eyes Wide Shut / 2001
In Eyes Wide Shut there is a poster with "Manning Bowman" written
on it. Bowman was the commander of the first manned mission to Jupiter
in 2001.

The Shining / Eyes Wide Shut
Jack's awakening from a nightmare and and tells it to his wife , Alice's
awakening from her nightmare and tells it to her husband. Another Jack
/ Alice connection is Jack wants to stay in the hotel "forever and ever
and ever" while Alice tells Bill not to use the word forever because it
scares her.

A connection that never made it to the screen...
Canadian actor Douglas Rain was the voice of HAL in 2001 Kubrick
quoted in Agels Making of Kubrick's 2001 said, "maybe next time I'll show
Rain in the flesh, but it would be a non speaking part, which would perfectly
complete the circle."

19/ Has Kubrick worked on any other films
apart from his own?
Kubrick worked on very few films made by other people, mostly when he
was just starting out and under the wing of Richard de Rochemont, the
producer of the March Of Time, who help the fledgling director finance
his first feature Fear and Desire.

a) In the early 50's Kubrick took a job as second unit director
on the "Omnibus" television series in the US for Richard de Rochemont.
He work on some ofd the 5 episodes of the life of Abraham Lincoln. Kubrick
was brought in to work on Lincoln for about a week shooting second unit
in Kentucky.

b) Kubrick's directorial flair had caught
the eye of Marlon Brando and he hired him for six months for a fee of
a reported $100,000 to work on a screenplay and direct the Western "One
Eyed Jacks (originally penned by Sam Pekinpah) with Marlon Brando and
Calder Willingham as co-writers. When Kubrick took a look at the script
he knew at once that it "needed work," and pitched in to solve its inherent
problems. Five months later, after a series of conferences with Brando
and associates, his contractual time was up, and he left the film. Kubrick
has said that the relationship ended amicably a few weeks before Marlon
began directing the film himself.

c) Ken Adam reported that Kubrick helped
him set up the lighting of the tanker set of The Spy who Loved Me.
They had built the set but the director of photography was afraid how
the whole thing was going to be lit. Adams asked Kubrick to come in for
some advice and he agreed on the condition that no one knew what was going
on. He was afraid it might cause a bit of a ruckus and was also supposed
to be working on 'The Shining' at the time. So when no one else was about,
he creeped in to help with the set-ups.

FQ, RM, ME

20/ What is the inspiration for the title
"Eyes Wide Shut"?
There are several theories about who came up with the title, and what
it means, but no definitive answer. The following is collection of possibilities:

In early June of 1999 Frederick Raphael was asked to write an article
for New Yorker Magazine entitled 'A Kubrick Odyssey', about his experiences
working with Stanley Kubrick on what was to become Eyes Wide Shut.

Raphael became concerned with a lack of title for the project when they
were deep into rewrites and faxed Kubrick a possible contender: 'The Female
Subject.' Kubrick reportedly did not acknowledge receipt of this suggestion
but some days later proposed 'Eyes Wide Shut' as the title he had decided
upon.

There has been much speculation on amk as to what the title means and
where it originated. The most popular contention is probably that he took
it from a 1968 congratulatory fax from film director Franco Zeffirelli
for '2001.' Zeffirelli said: 'You made me dream with my eyes wide open.'
(1)

Another reference points to Kubrick's friend John Le Carré's novel
"The Night Manager" which was written in 1993 which is about an arms dealer
who seems as charming as Zeigler, just about as cold blooded. On page
270 of the US hard bound edition a very distraught femail character finally
realizes she is little more than a gangster's moll and says "I'm in deep
shit. I walked into this with eyes wide shut."

Recently it was suggested that it might have been inspired by a quotation
by Benjamin Franklin: "Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half
shut afterwards." Strangely enough, Raphael might have been more responsible
for the title than he was aware. for in his 1980 novella based on the
myth of Gyges, 'The Hidden I' (1)
he wrote: "Now what was left of that airless complicity in which nothing
(she swore) could come between them? Now she was enlightened. Her eyes
were open while his were shut. She saw it all".

AP, MJ, JO

Notes:
(1) A quotation of Zeffirelli's fax can be found on page 171 of Jerome Agel's
'The Making Of Kubrick's 2001'. (back)

(2) Schinitzler's novel can also be found under the titles 'Traumnovelle'
or 'Rhapsody: A Dream Novel' (back)

(3) The Hidden I: A Myth Revised by Frederic Raphael with
illustrations by Sarah Raphael was published in the UK by Thames And Hudson
in 1990. Kubrick was aware of "The Hidden I" because Raphael mentions
giving him a copy to him in his memoir of their collaboration.

21/ Why did Kubrick omit the last chapter of
A Clockwork Orange in his filmed version?
Burgess offers his own explanation in the second volume of his autobiography, 'You've Had Your
Time.'

"A Clockwork Orange was published in New York by WW Norton Inc.
later in the year. Eric Swenson, Norton's vice-president insisted that
the book lose its final chapter. I had to accede to this lopping because
I needed the advance, but I was not happy about it. "

When Burgess first viewed Kubrick's film he realised he had followed
the American edition of the book

Kubrick's opinion was expressed to Michel Ciment in an interview.

MC
The end of A Clockwork Orange is different from the one in the Burgess
book.

SK
There are two different versions of the novel. One has an extra chapter.
I had not read this version until I had virtually finished the screenplay.
This extra chapter depicts the rehabilitation of Alex. But it is, as far
as I am concerned, unconvincing and inconsistent with the style and intent
of the book. I certainly never gave any serious consideration to using
it.